Article

2007-09-04 Europe

Row, row, row your bo...er, belay that order, Mahmoud

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Seafarious 2007-09-04 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 Row well and live!

Posted by Besoeker 2007-09-04 01:18|| 2007-09-04 01:18|| Front Page Top

#2 Next time do it this way.

Posted by gorb 2007-09-04 01:51|| 2007-09-04 01:51|| Front Page Top

#3 A nuclear submarine quietly surfacing up along side of an unsuspecting submariner out for a summers vacation in a Boston Whaler would scare the Holy B'Jesus out of him.

So Imagine what the expierence would do to four Moroccans. I bet they were very compliant afterward, and went back to Morocco without even a whimper.

Posted by Red Dawg">Red Dawg 2007-09-04 06:22|| 2007-09-04 06:22|| Front Page Top

#4 Didn't a sub come up under a boat full of Japanese tourists a few years ago? Didn't end well for the Japs if I remember right.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2007-09-04 07:07|| 2007-09-04 07:07|| Front Page Top

#5 It wasn't tourists; it was a Japanese trawler used for training. A kind of fishing school? Not trying to make a pun here; trying to be accurate. The sub surfaced under it near Pearl Harbor, sank the boat killing a dozen or so people. Sub commander was court martialed.

Posted by mom">mom 2007-09-04 10:21|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2007-09-04 10:21|| Front Page Top

#6 I don't think the San Juan was submerged yet. If I read the story correctly, it had just left the dock and was headed for open water...

Tonnage has the right of way.

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2007-09-04 10:23|| 2007-09-04 10:23|| Front Page Top

#7 We're talking about two different things. The sub in question in the case I cited was named after a city in the Carolinas, I think. Time to do some research.

Posted by mom">mom 2007-09-04 10:29|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2007-09-04 10:29|| Front Page Top

#8 Here it is: USS Greenville

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1163284.stm

What happened with the San Juan?

Posted by mom">mom 2007-09-04 10:31|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2007-09-04 10:31|| Front Page Top

#9 Sub sonar operators listen for propeller sounds and attempt to locate all surface ships. Therefore a surfacing sub should avoid popping up under or over a boat, however not all boats are under way. Apparently the Japanese trauler was stationary and 'invisable' to the sub. Any sailboat could meet such a fate on the high seas because they make no sound unless their engine is running. Chalk it up to fate.

Posted by wxjames 2007-09-04 11:40|| 2007-09-04 11:40|| Front Page Top

#10 Part of the drill in surfacing a submarine in normal conditions is to use the periscope to look for shapes and shadows on the surface.
The Greenville was practicing an emergency surface drill (partially to show off for some visiting dignitaries) and apparently didn't check.

Posted by Rambler">Rambler 2007-09-04 12:18|| 2007-09-04 12:18|| Front Page Top

#11 I remember that the crew claims to have checked, but they didn't have a video log because the captain had ordered it turned off to improve resolution. (???)

I also understand that the Japanese trawler was full of kids learning the trade, and that the captain didn't see it because the boat was hidden behind a wave when the scope swept the area.

They blew the tanks and came up and hit the boat so hard that the people on the lower decks didn't have time to get out of the ship before it sank. The sub stayed and helped the survivors as best they could.

The captain was very repentant, even going to visit each of the families after his trial was over. He couldn't comment or apologize immediately because of our screwed up legal system here, leading to a lot of hard feelings at first, but they said they felt better after he visited them.

I understand the need to court martial the guy, but at the same time it was an accident and he did care deeply. Seems to me if he was allowed to stay on somehow, maybe in a different role, he would be about the most concientious captain in the Navy after that. Too bad.

That's what I remember.

Posted by gorb 2007-09-04 15:55|| 2007-09-04 15:55|| Front Page Top

#12 Nope. There are NO second chances when you command a nuclear-armed sub.

Posted by mojo">mojo 2007-09-04 16:30|| 2007-09-04 16:30|| Front Page Top

#13 According to Wikipedia, Cdr Scott Waddle, the CO of the USS Greeneville when it struck and sank the Ehime Maru, was not court martialed. After a board of inquiry, he took full responsibility for the accident, even though there were errors committed by other crew members. Cdr Waddle was allowed to retire honorably. A truly standup Naval Officer. But, as mojo mentioned, there are no second chances when you are in command of a nuclear powered or armed submarine.

Posted by Rambler">Rambler 2007-09-04 17:11|| 2007-09-04 17:11|| Front Page Top

#14 Still, it seem like subs are hitting a lot of stuff these days. Didn't a sub just rear end a freighter near the Straights of Hormuz also?

Posted by bigjim-ky 2007-09-04 18:23|| 2007-09-04 18:23|| Front Page Top

23:45 JosephMendiola
23:38 Glenmore
23:03 JosephMendiola
22:54 JosephMendiola
22:45 JosephMendiola
22:33 Frank G
22:08 DMFD
22:07 Frank G
22:05 Frank G
22:04 Frank G
21:55 Anonymoose
21:48 Anonymoose
21:45 gromgoru
21:42 DMFD
21:40 ed
21:35 ed
21:28 Cyber Sarge
21:14 ed
21:08 Eric Jablow
21:06 Whiskey Mike
20:59 Nimble Spemble
20:55 eLarson
20:51 Pappy
20:48 Nimble Spemble